Mastering startup financial models: A quick cheat sheet for founders

Some founders don’t think about creating a startup financial model until it’s too late. It’s easy to do. You’ve got your nose to the grindstone, focused on building the next big thing. Your cash runway is the last thing on your mind… until your cash is gone!

It turns out, accurately tracking and projecting your company’s cash is just as crucial as the innovative ideas you’re working on. You can’t have one without the other.

While building a solid startup financial model may not be the most glamorous part of your job, for many founders, it’s a complete game changer.

The good news is that it’s not as daunting as it sounds, even if you have zero financial background as a founder. By following the guidelines below, you can create a solid model for your startup that helps you improve your business and raise capital.

So buckle up and let’s dive right in!

Key takeaways:

• Financial modeling as a strategic tool: A well-constructed financial model is a strategic roadmap for founders, guiding critical decisions around scaling, spending, and hiring. It provides insights into financial health, helping founders make data-driven choices that align with long-term goals.
• Enhanced fundraising potential: A strong financial model reassures investors of the startup’s potential, showcasing a clear path to profitability and a plan for utilizing funds. This transparency builds trust, helping founders secure essential funding and respond confidently to investor questions.
• Foundation for business planning and growth: Accurate financial projections are crucial for setting realistic goals, tracking KPIs, and planning for sustainable growth. A solid model allows founders to anticipate challenges and seize growth opportunities, ensuring steady progress.

Table of contents

• Why your financial model matters
• Step 1: Start with your revenue model
• Step 2: Factor in your costs
• Step 3: Forecast your cash flow
• Step 4: Include a profit and loss statement
• Step 5: Don't forget about the balance sheet
• Getting your model ready to raise

Why your financial model matters

A good startup financial model is more than just a set of numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s a strategic tool that can drive your startup’s success. Let’s take a quick look at a few reasons why your financial model is so crucial.

Strategic decision making

A robust financial model is like a compass for your business. It helps you navigate the complex landscape of the startup world and make strategic decisions that drive growth.

For instance, your financial model can help you decide when to scale your operations when to make executive hires, or when it’s the right time to invest in new equipment and technology. It can also help you analyze the risks around each of those decisions and even develop strategies to mitigate them.

In essence, your financial model provides a clear picture of your financial health, enabling you to make informed decisions that align with your long-term goals.

Enhancing your fundraising efforts

When it comes to raising capital, a well-crafted financial model is your best friend. It’s the proof investors need to see that your startup has a solid plan for generating revenue and achieving profitability.

Your financial model shows investors how their funds will be used and the return they can expect to receive on their investment. It demonstrates that you understand your business model, your market, and your financials, which builds trust and confidence.

A robust financial model also allows you to answer questions from potential investors with ease. It shows them that you’re prepared, you’ve done your homework, and you’re ready to make your startup a success.

Business planning and growth

Accurate financial projections are crucial for business planning and growth. They help you set smart goals and track your progress toward achieving them. Your financial model provides a roadmap for your business. It outlines your revenue streams, your costs, and your cash flow, giving you a clear picture of where your business is heading.

This allows you to plan for the future with confidence. You can identify opportunities for growth, plan for potential challenges, and ensure that your business remains financially healthy as it grows.

A solid startup financial model also helps you identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that are crucial for your business. By tracking these KPIs, you can measure your progress, make necessary adjustments, and drive your business toward success.

To sum it all up, financial modeling is not just a benign exercise in crunching numbers. It’s a strategic tool that can drive your startup’s success. It helps you make informed decisions, enhances your fundraising efforts, and supports your business planning and growth.

Building your financial model: The basics

Creating a financial model might seem like a Herculean task, but breaking it down into manageable steps can make the process much more approachable. We’ll take a look at five components you should focus on.

1. Start with your revenue model

Your revenue model is the cornerstone of your financial model. It outlines how your startup will generate income. This could be through product sales, service fees, subscriptions, contracts, or a combination of these.

To create a robust revenue model, you should include specific information for every channel. Segment your revenue to track and forecast metrics like conversion rates and ROI for individual channels.

Remember, the more accurate your revenue model, the more accurate your entire financial model will be.

2. Factor in your costs

Understanding your costs is crucial for predicting your profitability. There are two types of costs to consider: fixed costs and variable costs.

Fixed costs are expenses that don't change with the level of output, such as rent, some salaries, and insurance. Variable costs, on the other hand, fluctuate with your business activity. These could include costs of goods sold, shipping fees, or sales commissions.

Don't forget to account for future costs as your business grows. You might need to hire more staff, upgrade your equipment, or increase your support budget as your customer base expands.

3. Forecast your cash flow

Cash flow is the lifeblood of a startup. It's all the money coming in from sales, and all the money going out for expenses.

A cash flow forecast helps you predict when cash will be received and when it will be spent. This is crucial for understanding when you might need additional funding to cover expenses or invest in growth opportunities.

Remember, cash flow is not the same as profitability. A startup can be profitable on paper but still run out of cash if revenues are not collected in time or expenses are too high.

4. Include a profit and loss statement

A profit and loss (P&L) statement, also known as an income statement, gives you a snapshot of your financial health at any given time. It shows your revenues, costs, and expenses over a specific period, allowing you to calculate your net profit or loss.

Creating a P&L forecast lets you evaluate your long-term viability. A P&L forecast can even expose flaws or oversights in your business model. If your costs are outpacing your revenues, you can see how much revenue is required to get profitable, and how long it will take you to get there.

5. Don't forget about the balance sheet

The balance sheet provides a snapshot of what your company owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and what it’s worth (equity) at a specific point in time.

Assets can include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, and property. Liabilities can include accounts payable, loans, and other debts. Equity is what's left when you subtract liabilities from assets.

A balance sheet is essential for understanding your company's financial position. Forecasting your balance sheet lets you manage future assets and liabilities proactively to ensure your business remains financially healthy in the long run.

Keep in mind, building a financial model is not a one-time task. A model is a dynamic tool that should be updated regularly to reflect your startup's financial reality. Accounting data integrations are a game changer for keeping models current and accurate.

Getting your model ready to raise

Financial modeling is a complex process that pays major dividends, especially when you get out on the fundraising trail. You might sneak through an angel round without a model, but today’s VCs generally expect you to have a working and realistic startup financial model.

Showing up with a robust, detailed, and accurate financial model is an opportunity to build trust and confidence with investors. It shows that you understand your business at a deep level and that you’re actively monitoring your metrics and trying to improve them.

• Beef it up: If you have empty sections, unsubstantiated data, or any other “cut corners” in your financial model, now’s the time to go back and clean those up. You don’t want to go into too much detail, but you do want to cover all of your bases. If you’re not sure where to draw the line, check out our spreadsheet templates.
• Review your assumptions: Investors may scrutinize your data to make sure it’s accurate and current, but they’ll probably focus much more on the growth assumptions in your model. Wild or baseless assumptions are a big turn-off for investors. Make sure yours are realistic and based on data whenever possible.
• Get ready to share: You’ll want your financial model to be ready to share whenever it’s needed. Use a cloud-hosting service or another utility that makes it as easy as possible to grant access to your model when the time comes. Don’t present your model too early, though, and never send it ahead of your pitch meeting.
• Know your numbers: Don’t not know where any of the data in your model came from. And don’t not know the rationale behind any of your assumptions. Demonstrate that you know your numbers inside and out and you’ll be much more likely to gain the trust of a potential investor.
• Know your limits: If you’re not a finance person, that’s not a problem. Lots of engineers, artists, and inventors have figured out how to build good financial models. But if you really don’t like finance, or you’re really pressed for time, it might be wise to call in the cavalry. Forecastr lets you build a great model online, with the support of an experienced financial analyst. You get a good-looking model that’s easy to share, and we help guide you through all those time-consuming questions. Schedule a demo to learn more.
  
  

Taking the next step

While financial models are great for fundraising, the real power comes from using a model consistently to optimize your business. Sensitivity analysis lets you identify which levers you should pull to create the best outcomes for your business. Scenario analysis lets you evaluate decisions, test new strategies, and plan for changes in the marketplace.

Consistent use of your model also pays off when you’re fundraising. When you’re regularly reviewing and updating your financial model, you develop a deep familiarity with all of your business’s metrics and benchmarks. This is huge when you’re standing in front of a room of potential investors.

Remember, financial modeling isn’t just about the numbers. It’s about deeply understanding your business, making informed decisions, and setting yourself up for success.